


I never thought of you as a toy

by Codango



Series: Sitting in the street [6]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Break Up, Fights, Flashbacks, M/M, Memories, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 06:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2457590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codango/pseuds/Codango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meeting his high-school crush for coffee. Five years after a stupid fight as college freshmen. Five years after a chilly goodbye decidedly not between boyfriends. A deleted phone number. And now, two adults, on two very different paths than the ones they’d started together, were going to try to meet civilly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I never thought of you as a toy

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 3 prompt of SouMako week: post-graduation!

Makoto stopped at a park a couple blocks away from Haru’s café. He’d agreed to meet Sousuke for coffee at 3. He didn’t know what had possessed him to say yes. He also didn’t know what had made him get there half an hour early, but there he was.

He blamed his new schedule for throwing off his inner clock.

It certainly wasn’t because he was excited. Or desperate to hear a young police officer’s explanation about a fight that happened five years ago. _I mean, if we couldn’t even survive a stupid thing like that, there’s no way we could have made it as… well, anything._ It was petty, it was childish, it was ancient history. He’d moved on.

Even so… Makoto found a park bench in the sunlight. Leaned his head back. Closed his eyes. Five years ago…

 

* * *

 

Five years ago,  Makoto was on another park bench. He’d finished his last class before finals week… a first-aid course for his athletic training major. It was a gorgeous spring day. The sun was turning up the heat on his flannel shirt, and he felt cozy and with it and together.

Exactly the way you should feel right before you’re going to meet your boyfriend to study.

Makoto grinned into his coffee. He’d picked up two cups from the campus shop — Sousuke would be here any second. They were going to the library. Well, that was the plan. What was probably going to happen was a few minutes of useless flipping through textbooks, a few innocent touches back and forth, and then one of them would mention that their roommate was out for the afternoon.

Makoto flushed. He’d always imagined that the summer between high school and university would be really stressful and sad, but — it had actually been the best summer of his life. He and Sousuke had hung out almost daily since that karaoke night after their high-school graduation. And when Sousuke revealed he got accepted to Makoto’s university, well. They’d fallen into making out pretty regularly.  

“Makoto.”

Makoto’s head snapped up at that voice. Sousuke was just a few feet away, walking toward him and backlit with sunlight. Makoto beamed at him. “Heya,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “Coffee?”

“Mm.” Sousuke accepted the cup but stared at it blankly.

Makoto felt his stomach flip. “You, uh, you okay? It’s black, I promise,” he added with a nervous smile.

“Oh. Yeah.” Sousuke took a sip, still not looking at him. “‘S good. Look. Makoto.”

“Y-yeah?”

Sousuke fidgeted with the cup. Finally lifted his head and looked at him, his mouth in a thin line. “I’m… after exams this semester, I’m… well, my last exam is next Wednesday. And.” He stopped.

Makoto stood from the bench and touched the other boy’s arm. “Hey. You’re freaking me out.” He offered a tentative grin. “Can you… just tell me what’s going on?”

Sousuke studied him under thick, dark lashes. “I’m quitting after my last exam.”

Makoto stared at him blankly. “Quitting what?”

“Oh, come _on_ , don’t be so dense,” Sousuke growled and sat on the bench. “Quitting school, you know what I meant.”

Irritation. Confusion. Denial. Alarm. Makoto shook his head and picked one emotion to be getting on with. Irritation seemed… easiest.

“ _I_ am not the one dropping out of college, Yamazaki Sousuke. Let’s reexamine who’s dense here.”

Sousuke looked up at him, scowling. “Not signing on for another three years of debt does not make me dense.”

“So get a job,” Makoto gritted. _What’s going on? Why are we fighting? Why — why is he quitting? Wasn’t he doing well?_

Sousuke raised his eyebrows. “Funny. That’s exactly what I’m doing. You can stay and play at being an adult if you want.”

“ _Play at being an adult_ ,” Makoto echoed, his voice lowering. His eyes were stinging. “Is that what you think it means to finish something you started?”

Sousuke’s grin was humorless. “Well, well. College has taught Tachibana how to fight dirty.”

“That’s not a response to my question. Grow up.” _Uh. Probably could have done without that last bit._

Sousuke stood, hands in his pockets. “And _that’s_ a very grown-up thing to say.”

Makoto grabbed his bag off the ground. “You want to tell me what’s going on? Fine. You’ve got my number. Call me when you can talk about your problems without insulting me.”

“I’ve got problems?” Sousuke’s voice was level. “College isn’t the solution for me. Why do _you_ have a problem with that?”

“You were studying _pre-law_ ,” Makoto emphasized. “You still planning on going into sports law? Because good luck getting into that industry without a degree.”

Sousuke looked at the sky, and Makoto wanted to — well, wanted to stop fighting, really. But dammit if Sousuke wasn’t being the most… arrogant… obnoxious… ass.

“Makoto.” He sounded tired. “I’m aware.”

That stung. Fighting like children was one thing, but being treated like a child was beyond awful. Makoto raised his chin. Smiled. “Well. Glad you’ve given your future some thought.” He took the snap out of his voice, forced it not to tremble. If Sousuke could be calm, so could he. “Enjoy your coffee. I’ve… I’ve got to study.”

Sousuke looked surprised. “We’re going to the library, right?”

Makoto was being childish. He knew it. But it was sinking in — Sousuke was leaving. They’d talked about their careers, they’d shared what they wanted to do, where they wanted to go, who they wanted to help. And suddenly, out of nowhere, this huge change? And Sousuke hadn’t bothered to talk to him about it?

“I’m sure you’ll pass your exams.” Makoto turned away, knowing he was being an ass, hating himself for it, but really, _really_ needing to get deep into the stacks at the library and be alone. “No need to bust your ass to get grades that won’t matter.”

“Are you fucking serious. Makoto.” And Makoto felt a hand on his arm, found himself jerked around to face the other boy. “There’s no need to be melodramatic.”

Makoto mentally imploded. He jabbed a finger in Sousuke’s chest. Looked deep into those blue-green eyes. And calmly stated: “You want to drop out? Your choice. You want to get a job that’s not in law? Your choice. Treat your boyfriend like shit? Your choice. React badly to being insulted over and over again? _My choice_.”  

Sousuke’s eyes went wide. “Boyfriend?”

Makoto dropped his hand like he’d been stung. “What — what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Sousuke was looking at him like he’d never seen him before. “We’re _boyfriends?_ ”

“What… do you think we’ve been _doing_ together?” Makoto nearly shouted in disbelief.

Sousuke raked a hand through his hair. “Well, _I don’t know_ ,” he said, exasperated. “Having fun? Did we talk about this? Was I asleep for this conversation?”

“I don’t know! Were you asleep all the times we’ve made out the last couple months?” Makoto asked incredulously. “Let me answer that. You _weren’t_.”

Sousuke’s ears went red.

“Also,” Makoto continued, progressing from blindsided to damn angry, “ _having fun?_ ”

“Haven’t… haven’t you been having fun?” Sousuke asked faintly.

“I certainly haven’t been thinking of you as some goddamn _toy._ ”

Sousuke scowled at him. “I never thought of you as a toy. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

Makoto’s brows shot up. “You’re the one who’s all ‘Aren’t we having fun? Boyfriends, what are boyfriends?’”

“I’m just _saying_ you’ve clearly been making decisions about things without bothering to talk to me!”

“I sort of thought you were okay with me being a serious part of your life when you were shoving your tongue between my teeth on the regular!” Makoto shouted. 

They glared at each other, faces red, toe to toe.

Sousuke broke eye contact first. He glanced around them. Makoto followed his gaze.

Every student within twenty feet had stopped to stare at the two boys.

Makoto looked at the ground. “Right.” He turned, shouldering his bag. “Don’t call me for a while.”

“Makoto —” Sousuke groaned. “Come on, let’s…”

“I mean it, Sousuke.” Makoto glanced at the boy over his shoulder.

Sousuke stood in sunlight, wearing a hoodie, bookbag slung over his left shoulder. Lips parted. Dark brows furrowed. A coffee cup behind him on the bench.

Makoto set his jaw and walked away.

 

* * *

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Makoto glanced at his phone. The alert on the screen read, _Coffee at Haru’s. 5 mins._

“Uuuggghh.” He stood and walked the last couple blocks to the café.

Meeting his high-school crush for coffee. Five years after a stupid fight as college freshmen. Five years after a chilly goodbye decidedly _not_ between boyfriends. A deleted phone number. And now, two adults, on two very different paths than the ones they’d started together, were going to try to meet civilly.

What could possibly go wrong?

Makoto stepped through the café door and spotted him instantly. Sitting in sunlight. Hair the color of dark chocolate. Blue-green eyes that lifted to meet his.

And a slow, sexy smirk that had aged well.

_Fuck. Only everything._

 

**Author's Note:**

> [@codango](http://codango.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr  
> [Marcella Christie](http://marcellachristie.com/) for my alter ego


End file.
